Pleasure boats having inboard/outboard power units have been and are becoming increasingly popular with boaters including fishermen. Part of their popularity may be attributable to the fact that inboard/outboard power units are the preferred power unit for driving medium to larger sized boats, particularly those having a length between about 18 and 25 feet. Unlike outboard motors, inboard/outboard power units do not obstruct a boater's view from the stern of the boat, nor do they interfere with a fishermen's casting from the stern of the boat.
Despite these advantages provided by inboard/outboard power units for fishing, inboard/outboard power units are generally too powerful for trolling. Accordingly, if one desires to troll with an inboard/outboard powered boat, it is necessary in most cases to power the boat with a trolling motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,764 to Hopper discloses a trolling motor mount for use on inboard/outboard power boats. The mount is generally L-shaped and, as such, includes a generally horizontal and generally vertical arm. The horizontal arm is formed with a V-shaped recess such that the sides of the V extend on opposite sides of the outboard drive unit when the mount is secured to the drive unit. The vertical arm is attached at its lower end to the end of the horizontal arm. The vertical arm's upper free end includes a mounting block for clampingly receiving a conventional trolling motor. The motor mount is also provided with a hook-type lock bolt that hooks over a forward portion of the power unit to secure the mount to the power unit. Clamp bolts are also provided to secure the horizontal arm of the mount to the fins (or cavitation plate) of the inboard/outboard drive unit.
While the trolling motor mount disclosed in the aforementioned Hopper patent undoubtedly works as intended, it is difficult to reach and operate a trolling motor mounted on the Hopper mount. This is because the Hopper mount is attached to the far end of the outboard drive unit which locates a motor mounted on the Hopper mount quite a distance from the boat's transom. A boat having the Hopper mount attached to it as described in the Hopper patent should also not be operated at full throttle. This is because Hopper's mount is attached to the drive unit's fins or cavitation plate which attachment would most undoubtedly interfere with steering of the boat at full throttle. This could make operation of the boat quite dangerous and it could also put a lot of strain on the cavitation plate which might damage and possibly even destroy not only the cavitation plate but possibly the entire outboard drive unit. Accordingly, it would be desirable if a trolling motor mount were available that could be mounted closer to the boat's transom for ease of use and which would not have to be removed every time it is desired to operate the boat at full throttle.